The Jerusalemite bus driver Fakhri al-Khatib is attacked and detained until mid-January
An Israeli court extended the detention of Fakhri al-Khatib, a young Jerusalemite bus driver, in connection with Tuesday evening's traffic accident that killed a settler during a Haredi protest against the mandatory military service law.
Police reported that the incident is believed to have been caused by negligence.
During the initial investigation, the bus driver stated that he entered the street unaware of the demonstration and that protesters surrounded and attacked the bus, forcing him to flee for his life. He said he contacted the police station to report being in danger and claimed that one protester clung to the moving vehicle.
For his part, the driver's lawyer asserted that his client was directly attacked by the protesters, including being spat on and assaulted. He denied seeing the boy at the front of the bus, explaining that the incident was an act of self-defense, not a deliberate act.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem reported that settler attacks on Palestinian bus drivers have escalated in recent months, with settlers using sharp objects, sticks, verbal abuse, pepper spray, and stones.
The center added that the attacks included direct physical assaults on drivers and inspectors, with more than 120 incidents recorded in this period.
